Every click, scroll, and search query reveals not only data but also a customer’s intent, needs, and trust level. But are brands paying enough attention?

That is the argument presented by digital experts, Uchenna Innocent, Founder and Managing Partner at Radoss, and Bukayo Ewuoso, Head of Business, AdTech at Pisi.

Experts Urge a Shift in Thinking

Speaking in an exclusive interview with MARKETING EDGE, they affirmed that marketers must move beyond transactional thinking and start building strategies that connect behavior, intent, and value.

Together, they challenged the current over-reliance on shallow sales metrics and performance dashboards. Instead, they urged brands to go deeper in their first-party data strategies and reframe the role of paid search in the media mix.

First-Party Data Is About Relationships, Not Just Records

For Uchenna Innocent, many brands remain stuck treating first-party data as a narrow marketing asset limited to names, emails, and past transactions. But that approach, he argued, misses the full opportunity.

“To unlock real customer value, we need to treat first-party data as a relationship-building tool, not just a performance tracker,” he said.

Innocent outlined five strategic pillars that form a modern, ethical, and high-impact first-party data strategy.

Collect Across All Touchpoints

First, he mentioned that brands must collect data across all meaningful touchpoints, not just sales. This, he maintained, includes app behavior, website activity, customer service interactions, surveys, and even social media engagement. According to him, each interaction builds a fuller, more accurate picture of the customer journey.

Fair Value Exchange Matters

Second, he emphasized the need for fair value exchange. “Today’s consumers expect something in return for their data. This could include exclusive content, personalized tools, loyalty benefits, or interactive quizzes. When users see value, they’re more willing to share.”

Consent Builds Trust

Thirdly, he stressed that with global data privacy laws in place, brands must take consent seriously. “Consent is not just legal, it is emotional,” he said. Using Consent Management Platforms (CMPs) to offer clarity and control builds long-term trust.

Contextual Targeting Keeps Brands Relevant

Fourthly, he added that contextual targeting offers a privacy-friendly way to stay relevant. “With third-party cookies disappearing, brands can still reach users based on content themes, device types, and time of day, without tracking them across the web.”

Customer Data Platforms Play a Central Role

Lastly, he said Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) unify fragmented data. By combining CRM entries, transactions, and support logs, brands can build persistent customer profiles for smarter segmentation, real-time activation, and personalized experiences.

“Modern marketers must go from data collectors to data designers, intelligently shaping how we collect, use, and respect information,” he said.

Behavioral Data and Intent Are the Missing Links

When it comes to paid search, Innocent positions it as one of the most strategic levers in any media plan, not just a last-click conversion tool.

“Search is the only media channel where users literally tell you what they want,” he said. “It’s intent in its purest form.”

He further mapped out several stages of the consumer journey. “Search is not just performance, it includes participation,” Innocent noted. “It supports your other media channels by showing up when curiosity turns into action.”

Behavior, Timing, and Intent Drive Value

While Innocent focused on structure, Bukayo Ewuoso drilled into what brands often miss: behavior, timing, and intent.

“A lot of teams stop at surface-level data like purchases and emails. But the real gold lies in how users behave before and after they buy,” he said.

He explained that user behavior can reveal patterns, such as how likely someone is to make a repeat purchase based on the size or type of their first transaction. In fintech, for example, if a user makes a transaction in their first three days, they are statistically more likely to deposit or invest within a short window.

Ewuoso encouraged the use of product analytics tools to gather such signals, as well as the deployment of rewarded campaigns and preference quizzes. He referenced Coca-Cola’s successful programs with telco partnerships as proof of concept.

Zero-Party Data Enhances Experiences

Furthermore, he submitted that quizzes are another smart tactic. A skincare or beauty brand, for instance, can collect preference data by asking users a few tailored questions before recommending products. According to him, this not only improves customer experience but also gives the brand structured, zero-party data.

Ewuoso also pointed to purchase timing as a critical insight. “Some users buy more at the end of the month, others during the weekend. These patterns can inform when you ask, engage, or upsell.”

Importantly, he noted that many brands overlook valuable data sources like contact forms and FAQ pages. “When someone clicks ‘Contact Us’ and fills out a form, that’s a clear intent signal. If that’s not going into your CRM, you’re wasting it.”

He concluded by urging internal collaboration across sales, marketing, and product teams. “You can’t build a real first-party data strategy in silos. It has to be orchestrated.”

Paid Search Is a Demand-Capture Engine and a Message Tester

Ewuoso complemented Innocent’s perspective by framing paid search as a demand-capture engine, especially valuable for product-led businesses like fintech, crypto, and ecommerce platforms.

“Unlike TV or social ads that generate demand, paid search captures people who are already problem-aware and ready to act,” he said.

He stressed its role in supporting new product launches, especially when organic search visibility (SEO) hasn’t matured yet. He added that paid search allows brands to show up immediately when users search for relevant keywords.

However, he also flagged changes in the search environment. “AI summaries now appear above ads, which can reduce visibility. That makes your copy, targeting, and structure even more important.”

He urged marketers to monitor impression share — how often their ad appears relative to total searches for a given term. “If you’re showing up only 5% of the time for your main keyword, you’re missing out.”

Crucially, he highlighted how search data can inform broader marketing efforts. “Use your search campaign insights to shape brand messaging. The headlines and descriptions that convert here often work across channels.”

From Metrics to Meaning

Both experts agreed that marketing teams must move beyond chasing performance indicators and start building systems that listen, adapt, and serve the customer more intelligently.

They noted that brands that will lead in the next era are those that treat data as a conversation, not a commodity.

In conclusion, they opined that in an environment shaped by privacy concerns, high customer expectations, and AI disruption, marketers must not just track clicks but build trust that goes beyond gathering insights.

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